PHOTOGRAPHY BLOG

The famous French Aerobatic Team - the Patrouil de France - were in Malaysia last weekend. They thrilled the crowds with their aerobatic flying skills. Unfortunately it was a very hazy day. The cloud base was quite low and the Team couldn’t show the full range of their act. Nevertheless many people had a wonderful time although the weather was not kind to photographers. I shot quite a few lemons but managed managed to save a few.

Here is a digitally panned picture of one of the Alphajets landing, click the image for a bigger size photo.

The famous French Aerobatic Team - the Patrouil de France - were in Malaysia last weekend. They thrilled the crowds with their aerobatic flying skills. Unfortunately it was a very hazy day. The cloud base was quite low and the Team couldn’t show the full range of their act. Nevertheless many people had a wonderful time although the weather was not kind to photographers. I shot quite a few lemons but managed managed to save a few.

Here is a digitally panned picture of one of the Alphajets landing, click the image for a bigger size photo.

I have a bit of time so I thought why not share my workflow for creating a digital pan with fellow POTY members - especially the newbies to Photoshop. This is a very straight forward technique. To the PS experts out there I say, “Come on. Share your image processing secrets. Let’s all enjoy the pleasures of photography in all its various shades..”

This is the start image. Dull, boring and ordinary. Shot in RAW with a Canon 10D and the Image Stabilizer equipped EF100-400 f/4.5-5.6L, at f/5.6, shutter 1/500 sec, focal length 400mm, and ISO 200…. Full Article.

Last winter, I went backpacking in Bangladesh, and stayed for two weeks in the remote village of Panchuria. To get there I took a dilapidated bus from Dhaka for 5 hours, a ferry to cross the mighty Ganges for an hour, another bus on the other side for three hours more, then a three wheeled rickshaw for 16 kilometers, and finally a short walk across yellow fields of mustard to reach the hut of my host. I was really tired, but what a sight greeted me, and I have to share it with you. It was yellow as far as the eyes can see, with the monotony broken only by the occasional palm tree :-

Most of Bangladesh is the low laying delta of three mighty rivers originating from the Himalayas - the Ganges, the Brahmaputra (or Jamuna) and the Meghna. Every year the country is lashed by rains from the Bay of Bengal, causing massive flooding which often kill hundreds of people. But the floods deposit fertile soil on the land, and Bangladeshis harvest rice in the summer and plant mustard in the fallow season in winter. So in winter the countryside is a beautiful yellow, a little like the rape fields in temperate climes. Incidentally, that scraggly palm tree, second from the left, produces a syrup which is cooked to make brown sugar. And the palms often host wild bees which make a lovely and fragrant yelow honey from the mustard flowers.

Here is the father of my host, an imposing figure who told me he was once in the Pakistani Army serving in the North Wetern Frontier Region, during the time when Bangladesh was East Pakistan. I thought he had a very kind face, and I couldn’t imagine him pointing a gun in anger at the enemy…. Full Article.

In the beginning, I just basically took snapshots like everyone else, paying no attention to backgrounds, lighting or looking at any kind of composition for my photos. I have learned that all those kinds of things are important for good photography. I think the important thing to do, is look at and analyze a scene whatever it may be. You have also try to take different angles of your subject which can make all the difference in your presentation.

This photo of Chinese Lanterns was a challenge. I have tried many times to photograph these and have finally had success. This for me became a winning photo.

I took this photo on the black countertop in my kitchen (goes to show you can take pictures anywhere). My first thing to do, was shine up the countertop to give it a reflective surface. Next I blocked off sources of bright light and made sure I added a piece of black bristol board on the back wall to as to have a black background as well as the foreground…. Full Article.